Hi!
Please help-
I am a 62 yr old 145-148lb 100 % disabled female veteran. I am having shoulder, neck and hip pain. My shoulder pain is in the joints and they like to burn, zap and throb when I lay down to sleep, I am not sleeping much. I currently sleep alone unless you count my 2 service dogs which are doodles. I am a side sleeper but because of my shoulders I am having to sleep on my back (not happy). My current bed is a queen size Therapedic Hummingbird Silver Falls PT made by the Bedding group. I don’t like this bed, it sleeps hot (latex) and feels hard.
I need something that has pressure relief and zoned support, and cooling would be nice. I like to feel like I am sleeping on a cloud. I think medium, medium-soft is what I heard is best for a side sleeper. Also, I use an adjustable bed frame. Please help me find the right mattress.. (bonus if they offer a military discount). 
Could you also recommend a pillow for neck, shoulder pain? I have bought so many different kinds to name a few- Malouf shoulder pillow, Mellow cloud align, Storm 2.0, cube pillow and Temper-pedicure dual sided pillow.
Thank you so very much for taking the time to help me.
Lisa
Hi Lisa, and welcome! I’m sorry you’re having such a difficult time getting comfortable. As a side sleeper myself, I can definitely relate to how much pressure at the shoulder and hip can affect sleep.
One thing I’d be careful about is choosing a mattress based only on a “medium” or “medium-soft” label. Those labels can vary quite a bit between manufacturers. For a side sleeper, you generally want enough surface pressure relief to allow the shoulder and hip to settle in comfortably, while still having enough underlying support to keep the rest of your body well supported.
Since you describe your current mattress as both hard and hot, I’d pay particular attention to the comfort-layer materials and construction rather than simply looking for a softer mattress. A softer mattress isn’t necessarily more pressure-relieving if the materials don’t work well for your body.
Your pillow is another important piece of the equation. Rather than continuing to buy pillows based on brand, I’d look at the loft you need to keep your head and neck reasonably aligned when you’re lying on your side. The right loft can change depending on how deeply your shoulder sinks into the mattress.
Since you already have an adjustable base, you also have the advantage of being able to experiment with sleep positioning without buying anything else.
With the burning, zapping and throbbing joint pain you’re describing, though, I wouldn’t assume the mattress or pillow is the entire cause. That part is worth discussing with your healthcare provider if you haven’t already.
If you can share your approximate budget and whether you prefer the feel of memory foam, latex, or a more traditional mattress, that may help everyone narrow down some options for you.
One other thing I’ll mention because you already have an adjustable base: you might experiment with gently inclining the entire sleeping surface rather than only raising the head/upper body. I’m primarily a side sleeper myself, and I personally found that sleeping on a gentle full-body incline made a noticeable difference in my shoulder and hip comfort and how often I woke up during the night. It’s a practice I recently learned about and it definitely works for me. That’s just my own experience, of course, and not a treatment recommendation, but since you already have an adjustable base it may be something you can experiment with without buying another mattress.
I can’t find much information about your current mattress. What firmness is it classified as? Did the company provide any specs for how it’s constructed?
Also for a pillow you might like an adjustable one more than anything. There’s the eden pillow, it’s quite popular. Or this Amazon.com
If it’s adjustable you never have to worry about the pillow coming in the correct height. You decide the right loft.
Hi Gc123-
This is what I found about the mattress I currently have. The Therapedic Humming Bird model 3031 Silver Falls PT manufactured by the Bedding Group, Inc from Rock Island, IL
The Therapedic Hummingbird Model 303 Silver Falls Pillow Top (PT) is a premium Marshall spring (pocketed coil) mattress known for being one of the softer, more plush models in the Therapedic Hummingbird collection.
Core Components & Materials
- Support System: It utilizes an individually pocketed coil unit (Marshall springs). This design provides personalized support, reduces motion transfer, and contours closely to the body.
- Edge Support: It features a heavy-duty edge reinforcement system. Unlike standard mattresses that use staples, the hummingbird lineup uses a solidly glued edge reinforcement tub to completely prevent roll-off and increase the usable sleeping surface.
- Comfort & Quilt Layers: The soft pillow top layout includes multiple comfort layers, consisting of CertiPUR-US® certified polyurethane foams and gel-infused foam layers engineered to enhance heat dissipation and structural durability.
- The Foundation (Therability): Because the mattress itself is heavy and substantially built, it is paired with Therapedic’s Therability Foundation. In a queen or king size, this heavy-duty wood foundation features 20 side-to-side cross slats, which performs similarly to a flat platform bed unit to prevent mattress sagging over time. It is sold in a standard 9-inch or low-profile 5-inch version.
The mattress is uncomfortable, bought it in 2020.
Thank you for helping me with the pillow.
I think you might like the @Glacier Apex. Their medium mattress is a 6/10 firmness and I assume their soft is a 4/10. It’s cooling, soft and has an extra padded section for alignment in the center.
Honestly, check out BackScience. The have the BS2 and I love it.
John
Good Afternoon Lisa,
Dewey from FloBeds here, and thank you for your service. You mentioned your current bed feels hard and hot even though it has latex, so I want to address that first: “latex” covers a lot of ground. Many hybrids use a thin latex layer over firm foams, and the cover and fill around it matter a lot for heat. Ours are 100% natural Talalay all the way through, under organic cotton and wool, with no polyurethane foam.
For a side sleeper whose shoulders are the main problem, our vZone is what we recommend. It has six separate zone pieces under the comfort layer, so we can make the shoulder zone softer (all the way down to Plush) so your shoulder can sink in, while keeping the lumbar and hip zones supportive so your spine stays aligned. In the first 100 nights, if the shoulder or hip still needs adjusting, we ship you a different zone piece free. You’re not stuck guessing at “medium vs medium-soft” for the whole bed.
I ran your details (about 145 lbs, side sleeper, likes a softer feel) through our Firmness Advisor. Here’s the starting build it suggests:
All-latex beds flex well on adjustable bases, so yours will work fine. You can see the vZone options here, and it’s backed by a 100-day money-back guarantee and our 20-year Goldilocks Guarantee. For your neck, we also make Talalay and shredded latex pillows, and the shredded ones are adjustable.
Please call if it’s easier to talk it through: 1-800-356-2337, 8–5 Pacific.
Dewey, FloBeds